Hoist-control mechanism



July 14, 1925.

D. F. LEPLEY HOIST CONTROL MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug- 31. 1922 a N July 14, 1925.

I D. F. LEPLEY HOIST com-n01, nmcumzsu Filed Aug. 31, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 14, 1925. 15451907 DHF. LEPLEY HOIST CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Aug. 31, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 3111mm? or I July 14, 1925.

, 1,545,907 F. LEPLEY HOIST CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1922 4 Sheet-Sheet ,4

acquire Patented July 14, 1925.

' UNITED STATES DANIEL F. LEPLEY, OF CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOIST-CONTROL MECHANISM.

Application filed August 31, 1922. Serial No. 585,541.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL F. LEPLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Connellsville, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Hoist-Control Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined alarm and automatic control mechanism designed primarily to be used in connection with gravity or incline hoists such as used as part of the installations of some mines.

In these mines the inclines arevery steep for some distances where the cars begin their descent, and thenthe tracks are quite flat for a very considerabledistance, so much so, in fact that a gravity haulage would not work at all. Consequently considerable speed must be maintained in going down the first portion of the incline in order to sufi'icient momentum to carry the trip andcable over the fl at portion of the incline. After passing over the fiat portion the trip descends another inclined portion to a tipple. In order to avoid wrecks and many other troubles it is necessary that the descending trip be kept under perfect control at all times and maintained at such speeds as have been worked out and considered safe.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide the hoist mechanism with an audible alarm adapted to be sounded automatically when the speed of the trip becomes excessive, thus attracting the notice of the operator so that he can apply the brakes and reduce the speed.

A further object is to provide mechanism whereby the hoist will be brought to an automatic stop if, after the sounding of the alarm, the operator fails to reduce the speed of or stop the hoist.

A still further object is to combine with the apparatus a means for indicating to the operator the exact speed at which the trip is traveling.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in -the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the mechanism of an incline hoist embody-' ing the present improvements, parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the hoist mechanism, parts being broken away.

Figure 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the combined alarm and indicating mechanism.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan View of said structure.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the winding drum of the hoist adapted to be driven by a motor 2 the shaft 3 of which transmits motion through gears 4 and 5 to a transverse shaft 6 which, in turn, transmitsmotion through gears 7 and 8 to the shaft 9 of the drum 1.

Rotating with the drum 1 is a brake drum 10 on which is fitted a brake band 11 one end of which is attached to a fixed pivot member 12 while the other end is attached, as at 13, to one arm of a bell crank 14. The other arm of this bell crank is connected by a rod 15 to a bar 16 having a longitudinal slot 17 in which is movably mounted a pin 18 extending from a brake control lever 19 pivoted at 20. Another longitudinal slot 21 is formed in bar 16 and a pin 22 is movable therein and extends laterally from the arm 23 of a shaft 24. A lever 25 is extended from the shaft 24 and carries a weight 26. A plunger 27 extends downwardly from lever 25 and works within a dash pot 28.

A standard 29 is fixedly mounted above lever 25 and has a bell crank 30 pivotally mounted thereon as at 31. This bell crank has a depending arm 32 provided with an offset stud 33 adapted normally to project into a notch 34 formed in a supporting rod 35. Said rod is slidable within the standard 29 and is pivotally connected to the lever 25 so as normally to' support it in raised position. I

Fixedly mounted at any suitable point is a pedestal 36 having a yoke-like head 37 supporting an upwardly extending bearing 38 and a laterally extending bearing 39. A shaft 40 is mounted to slide and rotate within the bearing 38 and its upper portion ca"- ries a centrifugal ball governor ll of the ordinary type so that as the speed of rotation of the shaft increases said shaft will be moved downwardly and the balls sprung outwardly whereas, as the speed 01" rotation diminishes the balls will swing inwardly and the shaft will move upwardly. Constructions of governors of this type are so obvious that it is not deemed necessary to describe and illustrate the governor all in detail.

Shaft 40 has a gear 4.2 feathered thereon and this gear is supported by and meshes with a gear d3 secured to a shaft journaled in the bearing 39. Any suitable means may be employed for driving shaft ll. F or example a sprocket may be secured thereto, this I sprocket receiving motion through an endless chain l6, from a sprocket l7 secured to the shaft Scot drum 1. Thus as the drum rotates during the unwinding of the hoist cable by the gravitation oi' the trip, the shaft 40 and the governor ll will also be rotated. The speed of rotation or, rather, the speed of. descent of the trip can be visually indicated by an index or pointer 48 pivotally mounted between its ends, as at 49, upon a suitable supported plate or dial 50. A link 51 connects this 1ndeX or pointer with a lever '52 tulcrumed on the head 3721s indicated at 53 and pivotally connected to a collar 54: swiveled on the shaft l0. Thus as shaft 40 moves upwardly and downwardly the index or pointer 48 is moved to the left or to the right and will accurately indicate the speed at which the trip is moving.

Pedestal 36 has laterally extending bearings 55 in which is journaled a shaft 56. To the upper end of this shaft is fixedly connected one end of a plate of sheet iron or other suitable metal indicated at 57. The

other end of this plate extends close to the.

balls of the governor ll but is so located that it will not be touched by the balls until they have swung outwardly a predeter mined distance. Thus when the speed of the trip reaches the danger point the balls of the governor will move outwardly so as to successively strike the plate 57 and pro duce a noise that can be heard for a con siderable distance. Continued increase of speed will cause the balls to move outwardly still further with the result that, plate 57 will be pressed backwardly thereby and cause shaft 56 to rotate. This shatt has a crank arm 58 at its lower end connected by a rod 59 to a bell crank 60. The bell crank, in turn, is connected by a rodGl to the bell crank 30. Thus it will be seen that when shaft 56 is rotated as a result of the exeessivespeed of the trip, rod 61 will thrust up ardly against bell crank 30 and cause the stud to withdraw from notch 3 Consequently rod will be released and the weighted lever 25 will swing downwardly. This downward movement will be retarded by the dash pot 28 and during such movement arm 23 will pull on bar it} and, through rod 15 upon bell crank 1% with the result that the brake will be applied and the hoisting mechanism brought to a gradual stop.

While the apparatus has been shown combined with an electrically operated hoist it can be used in connection with other types of hoists and, in fact, wherever it is desired to provide a visual indicator, an audible alarm, and an automatic brake.

Attention is di-rectedto the fact that the drum brake is at all times normally "operative through the hand lever 19 entirely independently ot the automatic means of application. The operator always sets the brake by hand when the drum is at rest and. always controls the lowering speed of the drum through the handlever application, this being independent of the automatic or governor mechanism. If, however, the operator allows too much speed by not keeping the brake suficiently tight, the governor controlled mechanism acts promptly to apply the brake independently ofthe operator and in such cases it will bring the hoist to a stop without his knowledge or consent andhe'cannot prevent it.

From the foregoing it will be apparent t-hatthis invention constitutes a telltale whereby it can be determined readily whether or not the hoist operator is on the job. Owing to the importance of the work itis essential that the hoist operator be vigilant at all times. this invention is to be used will stop'automatically if neglected but it is not intendednor desired to have the hoist operator neglect his work as it is essential that he be always at his post ready to meet any-contingency that might arise. It is for this reason that the present device has been devised. This indicator operates the pointer 48 which is a visual means for indicating the speed of the hoist. Should this go unnoticed the balls of the rotating governor will strike the sounding element so that the attention of the operator will be cal-led to the tact that the apparatus is traveling too fast. If for any reason this fails to attract the the operator so that he can use the ordinary manually operated means for reducing the speed, the further rotation of the balls will shift shaft 56 by'coming against plate '57 and thereby slow down the hoist mechanism automatically. At the same time it will indicate at a distance that the operator is not attending to his duties.

What is claimed is Ina hoist mechanism including a winding drum, means for operating the same, a brake mechanism, means for holding the brake mechanism against application, and means The apparatus with which for automatically applying the brake mechanism when released, a visual indicator for indicating the speed of the hoist, a centrifugal governor operatively connected to the drum, a resonant signal device, said governor constituting means for striking the signal device to sound a warning when the visual indicator reaches a predetermined point of movement and for moving the signal device out of normal position when the visual indicator passes a predetermined polnt to indicate excess speed, and means operated by the signal device when shifted out of normal position for actuating the holding means to release the brake mech- 15 anism.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY. 

